The Great Place Debate: Place Making – a Product for Property Development

Kylie Legge is a leading voice in the evolving profession of placemaking. She is an architecture graduate, planner, author, facilitator, curator, entrepreneur and a founding Director of Place Partners, a multidisciplinary placemaking consultancy based in Sydney, Australia.

Her interests lie in the relationship between people and their urban environments and how we can work better collaboratively to create the kinds of places people want to spend time in. Her commitment to understanding the trends and external factors influencing decision-making ensures that projects she works on are fit for the future.

Kylie is the author of the Urban Trends book series which includes two highly regarded titles, ‘Doing it Differently’ and ‘Future City Solutions’. She is an internationally renowned speaker having presented at the World Green Building Congress, Venice Architecture Biennale, UN Habitat’s ‘Future of Places’ and Green Cities and is a regular contributor to Monocle Magazine.

Matt oversees Fed Square’s year-round public program of over 2000 events and activities. Spanning multicultural community festivals, original art commissions, commercial activations, live performances, 24/7 screen-based content and a variety of seasonal initiatives, the program is an ever-evolving, dynamic mix of influences originating from throughout the entire community. Matt has worked at Fed Square since 2008 and before that spent 10 years working in the UK for a variety of arts organisations including Brighton Festival, England’s largest multi-arts festival, where he was associate producer of the theatre program for four years.

In this time, Brighton Festival developed an international reputation as an incubator of cutting-edge, site-specific performance and visual arts projects delivered in unconventional contexts, as a strategy to broaden the appeal, impact and opportunities for public engagement in the arts. Prior to that, Matt was instrumental in establishing The Basement, South East England’s leading production company and venue for the presentation of interdisciplinary and live art. Matt holds a Master of Arts in Media & Communications from Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Gilbert is recognised both nationally and internationally as a leading voice in placemaking. He is a sought-after speaker and motivator, known for his innovative thinking, dynamic engagement processes and inspirational approach to community activation. His catalyst ideas have regenerated iconic places and enlivened many urban and rural communities. Gilbert sees the potential of placemaking to inspire a deeper cultural and social environmental awareness and stewardship to make a difference both locally and globally. Gilbert has worked with hundreds of mainstreets, developers and businesses over the last 20 years to create more vibrant, connected and resilient communities.

Narelle Hutchins is an architect who is passionate about creating successful retail destinations that connect with their community and are valued by both visitors and owners alike. As head of Place Strategy at AMP Capital Shopping Centres, she is responsible for not only a customer-centric design approach but also leads the development of strategies to deliver shopping and leisure experiences that are tailored to their distinct markets.

Narelle has over 18 years’ experience working across a broad range of sectors, including commercial, residential, infrastructure, hospitality and retail in Australia and the UK, with the last 13 years in the shopping centre industry. Her roles have spanned architectural design management, interiors, building design, master planning and place making.

Narelle worked on the design of luxury retail stores, such as the Burberry Knightsbridge Flagship Store, and Louis Vuitton through to iconic mixed-use developments, such as Chelsea Bridge Wharf on the Thames. Narelle has a Bachelor of Architecture with Honours from UNSW and is accredited by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia.